


The Demon Lord's Angel

by BelladonnaVeilsin



Category: Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale
Genre: Adorable, F/M, Feels, Griff is not a creep, Mating, No Underage Sex, Or sex at all, So ain't nothing happening to that little girl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26577481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelladonnaVeilsin/pseuds/BelladonnaVeilsin
Summary: Circumstances lead to Griff taking Recette home to his domain since no one else is there to help her.  He's learned why he finds the girl so enchanting: she's his Mate.  Of course, non-magical beings can't form a Mating Bond, so it brings up some questions about Recette.Back in town, her misfit crew return to find her missing and immediately begin investigating and searching.  It will eventually lead them to enter the demon realm to find her.Back at Griff's castle, Recette settles in like she belongs.  Demons have many reasons to hate humans, but she defies them all.  Most notably, she treats them as nothing less than people.  In fact, she's quite eager to be friends.  Many of his vassals don't know why he brought this girl back with him (and some correctly suspect his reason), but everyone enjoys having her there, cheering everyone and making the whole place seem brighter.Unfortunately, not all of Griff's family like having a little angel flying around.  And humans befriending demons is not without risks.
Relationships: Recette Lemongrass/Griff
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Griff to the Rescue!

**Author's Note:**

> To be clear up front: this is Griff/Recette with TIME. Nothing happens until she’s old enough for something to happen. But I love the idea of Griff enchanted by this silly human girl.

The girl was ridiculous. Aggravating. Moronic…endearing. Accepting. Caring. Griff couldn’t get her to leave his brain alone. When he was regathering power to return home, he would inevitably head into her shop in the evenings and buy something he usually didn’t need, just so he could see her. His fixation on her was…problematic.

Finding the reason behind it all was even more upsetting. And it happened in the most humiliating circumstances. To be clear, they had just had a boss battle and moved further in the dungeon without stopping (his hubris) so they had no food or healing items. And he was low on HP. And that was the **_ONLY_** reason he was felled by Slimes.

The fairy looked amused as they took him into their protective barrier, but Recette was immediately on him, worried because he had never fallen before, and the fact that Slimes had gotten him worried her even further. When she saw no lasting harm had come to him, she threw her arms around him, saying she was so happy that he was okay. This was bad enough, but with her wrapped around his neck, her face pressed into it and, intentionally or not, placed a small kiss on his skin. And it resonated.

He almost wished he could have passed out and avoided that look the fairy gave him, like she knew exactly what he was feeling. Except he wasn’t hiding most of what he was feeling, which was panic and dismay. No. Just no. He was a Demon Lord and she was a human girl. All demons wanted powerful Mates, but you never knew who it would be until you found them. He’d been around centuries and not troubled himself too much with wondering who his Mate was. When he found them, he’d deal with them then.

And even if he had never felt that resonance before, his instincts placed it as the beginnings of a Mating Bond. Recette was his Mate. It was problematic for so many reasons. One perplexing mystery was how she could Bond with him at all. Non-magical creatures couldn’t form a Mating Bond with a demon. She had no obvious magical lineage, no obvious powers…but she must possess something hidden inside her.

It didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to pursue her, and a sweet creature like her would not want to be the Mate of a demon. And, something he had been hiding, he had enough power to return home. He had been dawdling, unable to leave the human world with that little shop and that strange little human girl behind.

As soon as they were out of the dungeon and he had recovered, he said a brief goodbye (not correcting her “see you later”) and left the human world. He had left his lands too long as it was anyway. He trusted those he had put in charge of running the daily affairs of his castle, and those he had put in temporary power of running his lands. But there was no true substitute for a strong leader.

There was, of course, a great deal of work to be done upon his return. It fortunately left him little time for idle thinking, although when the day was done and he lay down in his bed exhausted, he couldn’t ignore that empty feeling inside any longer. There was a pull, and he knew exactly where it was leading to.

He was home for one week before he had to go back. Whether he wanted it to be true or not, she was his Mate, and he couldn’t let time pass and do nothing. If nothing else he had to tell her. It was a daunting and awkward prospect, but if he didn’t do at least that, he would eventually go crazy from being so far apart from her.

So here he was, back in the human world, surprised that it felt pleasantly familiar now. He headed to the shop on the top of the hill, hoping it was still open this late and saw…it was empty. There was a sign on the front door saying the house had been repossessed to pay the owner’s loans.

It made no sense. The day he left, Recette had been proudly telling him that she had more than enough money for her final payment the next day. Tear had even looked pleased. What could have happened? And…where was Recette now?

He began roaming the town, and he wouldn’t rest until he found her. His nose started to catch faint hints of her in the market (especially near sweet shops) and as he got closer to the center of town, his ears picked up something.

“You don’t have to eat grass, sweetheart. You like cake, right? I just bought some. You could come to my place and get warm and have a slice. Come on, you don’t want to stay out here.” There was something sleazy and solicitous in that tone that had Griff moving towards the town square even before he heard her.

“Um, thank you, that’s very nice, but Tear always told me not to take sweets from strangers.”

“Is Tear your mother? Why isn’t she with you?”

When he heard Recette start crying, he broke into a run. And when he saw her sitting on the grass, crying into her knees and completely oblivious to the man who was rubbing her lower back, eyes hungry, he lost it. He was across the square before either of them saw him, and he threw the man into the nearest hard surface, which was the middle of the fountain. There was a crack, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the man or the fountain. He didn’t care. Well…it was a nice fountain.

“Griff!” That small form launched at him, still crying. Recette tried to wrap herself around his waist, but he sat down in the grass and she threw her arms around his neck. “Where did you go?”

“Home,” he said. “What happened? I went to find you at the shop and it said they took it. You told me you had the money.”

Now she was sobbing, and he congratulated himself on his keen skills of comforting his Mate. “Someone stole all my payment that night. Not all of my money, just what I had set aside to give Tear. I tried really hard to sell enough that day to make it up but…it was too much. Even with the extra I had saved, it wasn’t enough.”

The demon didn’t hold back any longer, he wrapped the girl in his arms and held her close. “Calm down, you’re safe with me. Greedy, evil humans won’t prey upon you while I’m around.”

It was satisfying to feel her relax a little, her crying calming somewhat. “Tear tried to argue for an extension, tried to get them to even be interested in charging, or something like that. But they took my house and they took Tear because she was under contract to them. So I was all alone.”

This wasn’t right. “What about all your adventurer friends?” Recette’s charisma had drawn many capable (and not so capable) individuals to her; one of them would have taken care of her.

“You were the only one in town, remember?”

He did remember her and the fairy mentioning it. It annoyed him because it made it sound like he was their last choice because he was their only option. “Where did they all go?” He hadn’t cared to ask at the time.

Recette let go of him to count them off on her fingers. “Louie left last month to slay the King of the Dragons, and we haven’t seen him since. Caillou had some research trip that was going to be dangerous, so Elan went with him. I don’t know where Nagi is, and she probably doesn’t either. Tielle’s sister came and took her home. And did you know that Charme was a princess?” When he shook his head, she said, “There was some war in her kingdom, and she didn’t want to be a princess anymore, so she hid here. But they found her and took her back.”

Alone. He had left her alone. Abandoned her like all those irresponsible humans and the helpless elf and fairy. “I’m sorry I left,” he said. “I would never have let you end up out here.” Because the state of Recette’s clothes and her somewhat emaciated body told him that she hadn’t had a good meal or warm bed since he left.

She hugged him again, and he hugged back, carefully, because she felt so fragile. Even more than humans normally did. “I don’t even mind. I’m just happy you’re here.”

For such a sweet girl, she was rather lonely. He gathered that part of her initial attachment to her loan-shark fairy (and eagerness to run an item shop with her) had to do with the fact that they would be partners, companions, living and working together. From there, the fairy was as doomed as they all were to fall under her spell. Recette was magnetic.

There was no way he was leaving her alone again, but he couldn’t stay in the human world forever. “Want to come live with me?” he asked before his brain actually thought about it. Of course, it was the obvious solution, and if he ever Mated her, she would likely come live with him then.

Of course, he had a decade or two before that happened, and even then, he had centuries on her. Talk about cradle-robbing. The only thing that could happen before that was Marking his Mate, and he still wasn’t doing that until she was old enough to really understand what it meant. Forcing one’s Mate into anything was abhorrent. He might be a monster, but not that kind.

The girl looked up at him, eyes wide. Of course she didn’t want to live with him, the very idea was terrifying. “The demon world?”

She sounded curious. “Yes, of course. I have a castle, so you would be safe and well-cared for.”

“A castle?” Griff wasn’t sure what that tone meant, and then she giggled. “So you’re a Lord of Darkness back home?”

He rolled his eyes; he was never living that down. Try to take over the world and destroy humanity and a little human girl will forever tease you about cliched plans. “Just a regular Demon Lord. I have my own domain to take care of. It’s why I left; I had been away too long.” Liar. He had run from her because he was a coward who couldn’t accept facts. And she had been harmed because of his neglect. Some Mate he was. She had enough reasons to not want him without adding “neglectful” to his trait list.

“So, your friends at your home, are they nice?” She sounded so curious and hopeful. It was hard to believe, but she was actually considering going home with him.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure precisely what response he’d get when he returned with her. Demons weren’t innately evil and cruel; that was humanity’s domain. They could be harsh and wild, and definitely were not to be toyed with, but they were just people when you got down to it. And, really, that was all Recette ever saw.

“It might take some adjustment, but I think you’ll get along fine. And no one would dare harm you in my home. You’d be under my protection, and everyone would know it.”

“Would they hurt me if I wasn’t yours?”

That phrasing had his heart racing. But he did his best to calm himself and answer her question. “My kind has little love of humans, so there aren’t many who can live in the demon realm. But I have little love of humans either, and you managed to…befriend me.”

She grinned at him. “Yeah! I could make lots of new friends. But…you don’t hate everybody else, right? I thought you were friends too.”

Sighing, he said, “Your merry band of misfits are surprisingly pleasant exceptions to your species, no matter how incompetent some of them are.” He could see her about to protest his assessment of their skills, so he said, “I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy, Recette.”

There was a moment of silence as she thought things over. Then she looked up and asked, “The demon world has sweets, right?”

He broke out laughing, unable to help it. Her priorities were hilariously misplaced. When he calmed enough to speak, he said, “Yes. I have a pâtissier who makes all kinds of desserts and candies. But you will have a limited amount. You’re tiny right now; we don’t need you staying this size because you are a sweets monster.”

“I’m not a sweets monster!” she said, looking stubborn.

“I saw you that evening you slipped your leash and had that contest with Tielle. You both terrify me. Neither of your little bodies should be able to contain that much sugar.” It had been an alarming spectacle. And Recette had looked radiantly happy, practically shining with joy.

“But I won!” she said proudly.

“To my horror. Why do you think I call you a sweets monster? Humans can’t eat like that. Elves maybe, but not humans.” It also brought back that nagging question of what Recette actually was. She wasn’t fully human, but she was obviously some hybrid if she fit in this long without anyone noticing.

Still, the night was passing, and the man had woken up and started sobbing and crying for help, so he’d rather be on his way with her as soon as possible. Humans could be so annoying about someone properly correcting their bad behavior. The man was alive, and it was more than he deserved.

“So, will you come home with me?”

He was afraid she would continue thinking, or worse, say no, but she beamed and nodded vigorously. “It’ll be great to have more demon friends! Even if they won’t be as awesome as you.”

This partially-human little girl was truly perfect for him. Demons wanted powerful Mates, but Griff had enough power. What he didn’t have was love. Joy. Sunlight. Recette was a beacon of positivity in an otherwise dreary world, human or demon. And one day, a long time from now, she would be his. There was no more uncertainty or fear: he would take care of his Mate and show her his love until she loved him in return. He had all the time in the world.

“We should get somewhere less open. The portal stays open for a few minutes, and it’s best to summon it where there’s the least chance of something else following through.”

Her arms went around his neck automatically, so he picked her up as he stood. She pulled herself close to him as he walked, and he felt a small kiss on his neck before she laid her head on his shoulder. And that kiss resonated again. It was reinforcement that he had made the right decision to bow to his instincts at last.


	2. Let's Live With Demons!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Portions of this story will be told from Recette’s perspective, eventually. As well as her friends’ perspectives.
> 
> Also, didn’t mention in the last chapter that he’s only wearing gauntlets to cover his hands, not claws. I imagine them as detachable parts. And I will explain later why he always wears the gauntlets.

“Look, Griff, a kitty followed us!”

He groaned internally, all but certain it was _not_ a cat. He turned to look. A tawny little kitten was giving them big soulful eyes and let out a small mew. “That is not-” Feathery wings that had been flattened against its back unfurled and the thing struggled to fly.

“It’s a flying kitty!”

“It’s a catwing,” Griff said with a groan. “They’re attracted to the energy portals give off. They’re rare, mostly because of their tendency to follow whoever comes through the portals. Killing them is really the only way to stop them.”

“No!” Recette wiggled until he set her down. “Don’t kill the kitty!” She reached out to the catwing, which had just started to fall, and caught it, drawing it close to her. “It can be my friend!” She grinned at him.

“How did I know you would say that?” Really, the second she mentioned a “kitty” he had instantly envisioned what had just happened.

“I don’t know.” She seemed to think. “Maybe you’re really smart.”

“I am, but I think mostly you are very predictable.”

She stuck her tongue out at him but smiled, petting the kitten in her arms which was purring loudly. He was glad to see her in better spirits, but, if they were honest, she was the type of girl to bounce back as soon as she had any reason to. A little ray of sunshine that the clouds could only hold back for so long.

He reached his hand out and she took it, cat in the other arm, tucked against her. “I can keep him, right?”

“Yes, I don’t see that we have any other choice.” He could not kill the thing and break her heart.

“Thank you!” As they began walking she said, “You know, it’s kinda…volcano-y here.”

The appearance of a catwing had entirely distracted the silly creature from the fact that she had just entered a hellscape. “Indeed. The lands around my castle are much more attractive.” He’d rather not put her off living with him because of initial impressions.

“I don’t know. At least it’s really warm, and it looks kind of nifty!”

That hole that had plagued him the past week felt so full now that he had her with him. That relentless optimism, that contagious good mood. He hadn’t laughed for decades, and then he met her, and she made smiling and laughing so easy.

She began swinging their arms as they walked, and he was certain they looked ridiculous. As the hellscape transitioned to more normal forest, and when they emerged from the trees to see his castle on the grassy plains, the girl just made more and more comments on how pretty his home was. When she saw the castle itself, she said, “A Lord of Darkness couldn’t live here. But it makes sense that you do.”

Unsure if he wanted her to elaborate, he just stayed quiet as they approached the back gate. It opened as they got close, since his gatekeepers would recognize him on sight, and they entered the courtyard. It was business as usual with people about their daily lives, drawing water, washing, taking care of animals, and other chores. It grew silent and still when he entered with Recette. Even she wasn’t entirely immune to the atmosphere, and she drew closer to him.

“Nothing to fear. You’re with me. And they’re just people. They just look different than the humans you’re used to,” he said quietly.

Penlon, his butler, was hurrying to meet him. His fully black eyes were open wide as he glanced between his Lord and the girl. Pen was built in the same humanoid way Griff was, as most of the higher vassals were. His skin was a light green, however, and he had two small tusks jutting out of his lower jaw. He had a thicker build with more obvious musculature.

“My Lord, we weren’t expecting you to arrive here.” Even if Griff avoided the main streets to avoid attention, he usually went through the town on the other side and came through the front gate.

“I didn’t wish to overwhelm my guest,” he said, and he did not lower his voice. “Penlon, this is Recette, and she is my guest with my full protection.”

Before the butler could reply, the girl slid her hand from his. “Um, hi. Like he said, I’m Recette.” She looked down at the catwing that had fallen asleep against her and added, “This is Gabriel. It’s nice to meet you.” And she offered the demon her hand. When he just stared at the tiny appendage, she looked at Griff. “You guys shake hands, right?”

Carefully, the large green hand engulfed hers, thick fingers wrapped all the way to her wrist. “It’s nice to meet you too.” He looked up at Griff. “Shall I prepare some rooms for her?”

“Is there a suite available near mine?” Griff asked.

“The one right across from you is available.”

“Perfect. Please see that it is done.”

The butler bowed slightly before hurrying back to the castle. The pair followed more slowly, Recette reclaiming his hand to swing their arms together. Griff smiled at the absurdity of it. His subjects were watching in something between awe and alarm, he knew. But he could never bring himself to care when his Mate was so happy and content.

“You have very good manners, Recette. They will serve you well here.” Already the girl had disarmed his butler. He was confident she would take apart his staff until she was a beloved resident, firmly settled and accepted as one of them.

“Well, it’s like you said, they’re just people. It’s rude to be rude, right?”

He chuckled, and he heard a gasp somewhere. “A rather obvious statement. Come, let’s get you settled in so you can get cleaned up and get some food in you.”

“Sweets?” she asked hopefully.

There was no holding back his laughter, and he didn’t care to. He heard the stir it caused behind them, but they’d have to get used to it. If she was here, him being happy would cease to be a novelty. “I’ll make sure we have some sweets. But only if you eat your food first.” Having her for a Mate was like raising a child…and he supposed he was.

“Okay!” Her loud reply stirred the catwing in her arms, and it mewled at her. “Hear that, Gabriel? We can have sweets!”

“He will want ratflies. Since you’ve accepted him as yours, he probably won’t mind leaving you to hunt his own meals, which I imagine you’d prefer; they eat them alive.”

Recette shuddered. “I still love you, Gabe, but we need to talk about table manners.”

Eyeing her ragged shopkeeper’s clothes, he added, “And I suppose I should summon Anily once you’ve washed to make some new garments for you. We won’t have anything your size just lying around.”

They entered the castle to find the small entrance hall empty but for one person. “Lord Griff! I was told you brought a guest!”

The girl that bounced over to them looked nearly human. If her skin wasn’t literally white and she didn’t have purple glowing eyes, she could have walked through Pensee without trouble. She had black curly hair pulled up into pigtails, making small waterfalls of ringlets. As always, she was wearing some odd, but apparently fashionable, garment.

“Anily, I was just talking about you. Recette, this is Anily. She is our tailor here at the castle.”

As before, Recette reclaimed her hand to offer it to the demon. “I’m Recette.” She glanced down at the mewling catwing. “This is Gabriel. Nice to meet you!”

Anily took her hand without hesitation, smiling. Her eyes had been examining Recette since she entered, sizing her up and taking precise measurements without need for a tool. “Hello there! My, Lord Griff brought us a little doll. Oh, I can’t wait to make some dresses for you!”

He knew Anily would relish the new challenge. “Can you have something ready for her in an hour or so? She needs to get cleaned up, but if you can get something ready and bring it to the suite across from mine as soon as possible, I would appreciate it.”

“You know who you’re talking to,” Anily said. “I’ll have at least three dresses for her by then.” She winked at the girl. “Nice to meet you, Recette! I’ll see you in a little bit.” Then she was away at a brisk pace, eager to dig into the challenge he had presented her.

“She was really nice!” Recette said. “Why didn’t she stare like everyone else?”

“Penlon clearly sent her our way, and he would have mentioned that you were human. And, of course, as the most human-looking demon in the castle, she is used to some discrimination. She wouldn’t be bothered by your appearance.”

“She called me a doll,” Recette said as they moved further into the castle. “Does she want to play with me?”

“Perhaps. But she definitely wants to dress you up.” He took her hand again. It felt better when they were connected. Of course, any servants they encountered looked blatantly shocked before they bowed and welcomed him home.

His butler was waiting outside of Recette’s new rooms. “They’ve been tidied and refreshed.”

Not for the first or last time, he was grateful to have Pen working for him; the man was eminently efficient and swift. “Thanks, Pen. And thank you for sending Anily to meet us, it saved a lot of time.”

“Of course, Lord Griff.” The demon opened the door and gestured for them to enter.

It was the standard fair for guest rooms: done in rich reds and blacks, elegantly decorated, and not too ostentatious. They had entered the sitting room with a couch and comfortable chairs and tables. He knew to the left would be the door to the bedroom, and a bathroom attached to that.

Her catwing apparently thought it was time to explore, because it flew from her arms, haltingly, and eventually landed to pad into the bedroom. It must be nearly newborn to have such trouble flying still. “Gabriel!” Recette went chasing after the thing.

“Lord Griff, may I ask who she is?”

Griff wasn’t ready to tell anyone about her yet. “A friend of mine from the human world. I went to check on her, and she was in trouble, so I brought her home.” He had seen Pen’s jaw drop at the word “friend” since Griff never had friends. And certainly not human ones. His hatred of humanity had been one of his defining traits. “As you’ve seen, she’s not like other humans.”

The butler looked down at his hand, the one she had shaken. “Definitely not. And how long will she be staying with us?”

“Until she wishes to leave,” he said shortly, the very idea making his chest tight.

The catwing came running in, but his reflexes were superior. He scooped the thing up and gripped it gently, all-too-aware how easy it would be to crush it. Recette came running in and he offered the thing to her. “Thanks! By the way, who lives here? It’s really nice.”

She paid no attention at all, it seemed. “These are your rooms; you live here now.”

Those eyes got wide. “What? Really? Thank you!” She wrapped herself around his waist, catwing let loose in the sudden motion. Griff just put a hand on her back. Of course, then she looked up at him and said, “Can I jump on the bed? It looks really fluffy.”

Griff closed his eyes and shook his head, unable to keep from chuckling. “No, not now. Now you need to go take a bath. You can take your time; Anily is still making some clothes for you.”

“A bath?” Recette let him go. “I’ve been wanting one of those.” She turned and headed towards the bedroom. “I saw the bathtub when I was chasing Gabe; it’s huge!”

“Sir, can I ask, is she-?”

Pen had come to the right conclusion. “No, don’t ask. And if you could subtly convince others not to ask, I would appreciate it. She’ll have enough attention as it is.”

“Of course, Lord Griff, but…forgive me for saying, you don’t do much to hide it.”

“It’s impossible to hide. But I’m not announcing or confirming anything.” The Demon Lord sighed. “Dinner will be ready soon, right? Can you make sure Priel has his best assortment of sweets to accompany it? You can tell him I’ve brought someone who will appreciate his genius. I know that will make him happy.”

“Of course, my Lord.” Penlon left without further comment.

Feeling suddenly awkward standing alone waiting in Recette’s rooms while she took her bath, he went closer to the bedroom door and said, “I’ll wait outside. When Anily comes, I’ll send her in.”

“Kay!”

He didn’t have to wait as long as expected. Twenty minutes after he stood out in the hallway, the demon approached carrying some garment bags and a handle bag full of who knew what.

“Hello, Lord Griff. It might be considered cheating, but one of these is a nightdress. Still, I had a pile of fabrics I’d never been able to use just calling her name, and I also had to make some extra items.” Anily barely waited for him to try to speak before she said all that.

“Yes, thank you for getting it all together so quickly.”

Anily grinned, and her eyes almost seemed to glow brighter. “She’s so cute! And it’s been decades since I’ve had any kind of challenge. She’s staying, right? So I can make more clothes for her?”

Even by her mere presence at his home, Recette was already making his people happy. “Yes, she’s staying. And I’m sure she would appreciate your efforts to make her fashionable. Although…” Recette would probably like dressing up, but… “The clothes she was wearing when she got here…could you either mend or replicate them? I think she would like something familiar to fall back on sometimes.”

“Of course, my Lord.” The seamstress eyed him carefully, and he knew she wasn’t taking measurements. “You are very considerate of her. Pen said she was your friend from the human world.”

It wasn’t the first time Anily got nosier than was proper for a vassal. “Yes, my first friend. She’s important.” No use trying to deny that much. And this demon seemed able to get away with more than he should let her.

“So you have more friends than her?”

He thought of the humans and the elf. When the thief who had defeated him turned up as he was on his nightly walk and dragged him to the pub, he had been irritated. Places packed with humans were far from comfortable for him. Recette made him relaxed enough to visit her shop even on busy nights, but he was glad his nocturnal nature allowed him to avoid crowds.

And then he was in the pub, gathering stares and immediately regretting not shredding the thief’s arm. But then he was seated at a table with all the others that Recette had drawn to her: the child prodigy sorcerer, the elven archer, the drunken monk, the directionally-challenged girl with a spear, and, apparently her first adventurer friend, a swordsman even more idiotic than the shopkeeper herself.

They all knew what he tried to do, he could see from their initial stares as Charme introduced him, but it seemed quickly forgotten as they started chatting again, eventually including him by asking his opinions, and even asking about demons. The sorcerer, Caillou, in particular seemed to be fascinated by the idea of the demon realm.

It was strange to feel…welcome in the presence of humans, to see how the elf was treated as just another friend. The social dynamics were the sort of thing he had grown up being taught to believe in, his parents being the idealistic diplomats they were.

“Yes, I have more.”

A gentler smile grew on her face. “I’m glad your trip to the human world went so well, sir. When you left, we were worried about how you would handle the humans.”

Better to steer away from his original plans to “handle the humans” and instead get back on track. “She’s bathing, but you should go in and help her with her clothes.”

“Of course, Lord Griff.” She managed to get the door open and slip inside with all her burdens.

Ten minutes later, she emerged. “She’ll be out in a moment. I felt I should mention…she had a very entertaining story about an Archdemon hand and a Lord of Darkness. You might want to talk to her about keeping it to herself. I, of course, will keep it to myself.”

Heat crept into his face as he realized she was right. What he had attempted hadn’t been _illegal_ or anything, but such radical and swift changes were highly frowned upon. Demons might be wild, but the Demon Lords liked order, and they lived long enough to see the value of acting after much thought and planning (which he had) and putting any decisions to big changes before the Council of Lords (which he hadn’t).

Also, everyone finding out that a human thief (even as high leveled as she was) had stopped his grand scheme, as well as that scheme being mocked by a tiny human girl would not be to his advantage. “Thank you, Anily. I appreciate it. I will speak to her.”

“I already mentioned it, but you’re the one she’ll listen to.” Anily bowed and made to leave, but then stopped. “Um…I don’t have a lot to do these days, one reason I was so excited to make a new wardrobe for Recette.”

“Yes?”

Anily met his eyes and was very serious as she said, “I would like to help Recette get used to living here. You’re too busy to always be with her, and I can tell she isn’t the type of girl who wants an attendant or servant doing everything for her. Also…” and here Anily let a small smile show as her white cheeks grew slightly lavender, “she says she wants to be friends. And I would look out for my friends.”

As he had told Recette, Anily had gotten some unfair discrimination from being the most human-looking of all the humanoid demons. As far as he knew, she didn’t have anyone close to her. And, really, he had known this would happen. Recette made everyone feel special, wanted, worthy.

“Yes, I believe that would be a good idea. She could get into a lot of trouble with the way she is. I appreciate and accept your offer.”

“Thank you! I’ll come get her before breakfast tomorrow.” Again the demon paused as she turned to leave. “Also, I think you’ll like her dress.”

Face hot again, he said, “It isn’t as if you’re making her clothes to please me.”

That just got him a knowing smile before Anily said,” Goodnight, my Lord,” and left.

She knew too. Of course she did, like Pen said, he wasn’t hiding it. But he couldn’t push her away ever again. So it was what it was.

Then Recette appeared, and he realized what Anily meant when she said “pile of fabrics she’d never been able to use calling her name”. The girl was dressed head to toe in white. Demons didn’t wear white; it was considered a holy color. He wondered that she even had such fabric. She must have dyed or enchanted it herself.

The girl spun around, clearly pleased with her new dress, as it lifted to reveal a petticoat as she did. It was fairly simple, just a little girl’s dress with puffed white sleeves, but it seemed to suit Recette so well. She wore white tights and simple white slipper shoes (although he wondered if Anily realized the hazards of dressing an eight-year-old girl in such a stainable color).

While it fit her perfectly, and the color seemed made only for her, he also couldn’t help but think that the outfit was a beacon of “I don’t belong here” that would cause problems.

“It’s such a fun dress!” Recette said, spinning again. “And it’s so comfortable!”

Problems be damned; if it made her happy, she could wear it. “You look lovely. Come, dinner will be ready by now.”

Recette immediately reached for his hand, and he led the way. “By the way, why doesn’t anyone call you ‘Griff’ like I do?”

“My highest vassals are more informal with me, but only one person other than you calls me Griff.” And she was about to meet her.

“Who is that?”

“My aunt.”

(-)

“Your Majesty, the messenger you sent from Pensee has returned.”

Charme smiled, eagerly awaiting Recette’s reply. Since she had been caught and forced to return and be queen (damn her rock, paper, scissor skills), she had greatly missed her silly little friend. She missed all her friends, really, but Recette was always special. She had an aura that made you feel better just being around her.

The woman came in and bowed. “I am sorry, your Highness. The shop you sent me to is no longer open, and the owner has gone missing.”

It was like someone had punched her. “Recette? Missing? How?!”

“The shop was reclaimed to pay off Recette Lemongrass’s debts, and she had been homeless for a week. Then, she disappeared one night. The guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild is keeping the search for her going and says he had just found a shop to take her on as an apprenctice, but the next day no one could find her.”

Now Charme felt a little sick. “How long before you got there did she go missing?”

The woman looked slightly ashamed. “One day. If I had been quicker, I might have gotten her here before anything could happen.”

Taking deep breaths, Charme said, “Nonsense. You couldn’t have known. But I would like you and two others to begin investigating. I need to know what happened to her.”

“Yes, my Queen,” the woman said, bowing and leaving.

God, what had that silly girl gotten herself into now? Was she hurt? Was she a captive? Was she…alive? No, it wouldn’t do to think that way. As dumb as the girl could be, she was a survivor, and she had that charisma to fall back on. She would be okay until Charme could find and rescue her. She had to believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I power-leveled Charme simply because I liked playing with her the best. By the time I got to beating Griff, she was around level 60. I was using the tactics I read about to help beat him, but quickly realized that dodging a little, soaking up some damage, and just hacking mercilessly at him was a win. So Charme is the one who beat Griff in this one. Also, I will explain the rock, paper, scissor thing later.
> 
> Not sure if Recette’s age is determined; I couldn’t find it in the wiki I use. So I just said she was eight.
> 
> I realize that monarchs usually have a standard way to address them (this in reference to Charme) but repeating one over and over seemed dull.
> 
> I hope my (very small) audience is enjoying this! Feel free to let me know what you think; it will remind me that my fic isn’t invisible! ^__^


	3. Sweets are Yummy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive my food unoriginality. The food should be more exotic, but let’s pretend it’s a special demon cow and such.
> 
> Also, Recette is probably a bit more/too articulate here.

“I heard you had brought a friend back with you,” his aunt said when they arrived at the dining room.

Recette glanced at him, then reclaimed her hand to offer it to his aunt. “My name is Recette. It’s nice to meet you!” She offered her most earnest and sunny smile, and he saw the old woman’s lips twitch.

“I’m Fina, Griff’s aunt.” She briefly shook Recette’s hand.

The girl nodded earnestly. “That’s what he told me. His mother’s sister?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

And he could tell, even if Recette couldn’t, which parent she had been related to, even if he had never been told. His father had very dark skin, nearly black, while his mother and aunt had light caramel tones. His deep tan skin came from those two mixing. His father had possessed wings, large, leathery, and batlike, which Griff did not, but he got his hands from his mother’s side. His aunt wore gauntlets like he did, although hers were sleeker, more slender, to fit her more delicate female hands.

That side of his family possessed large hands with long fingers, and they were extremely sensitive, both in tactile senses and in empathy if they made contact with others’ skin. Their gauntlets were specially made to keep them from being overwhelmed by all the casual contact the world would force on them.

He blamed that empathy for his mother’s soft nature, although his aunt was made of sterner stuff. It didn’t matter that his mother covered her hands just like they did. He had no such excuse for his father other than his mother being a bad influence.

Although…he patted Recette’s head. He could see where having a kind-hearted Mate making you softer didn’t seem like such a bad thing. If only she was the standard for humanity instead of the exception…he might not be a Demon Lord. He might still have parents.

“That’s an interesting outfit you have there,” his aunt said. She glanced up at Griff and raised an eyebrow.

He just shrugged. He gave Anily the artistic freedom to dress Recette and, strange as her choice was, he couldn’t say she hadn’t done a good job. “Anily had fabrics she couldn’t use for anyone else.”

“I would imagine not.” When Recette looked between the two of them and just shrugged and twirled, clearly enjoying the flow and fluff of her dress, Griff laughed.

His aunt met his eyes, speculation in her gaze. As with everyone else, she hadn’t seen him laugh in decades, not that she had done much laughing either. “You’ve found a wonderful little friend, haven’t you, Nephew?”

That look had sharpened, and he knew she had come to the right conclusion. “Yes, she is perfect. Now, shall we eat?”

“Let’s. I’d love to hear some stories from the human world.” He got the impression she was expecting colorful (read: gory) stories about how Griff dealt with being among humans.

They settled at the table, and Griff was almost startled when his aunt took the seat to the left of his at the head of the table. As the only family member to eat with him every night, her rightful place was at his right side. But she had recognized his Mate and was ceding the proper place to Recette. Luckily the girl had no way of knowing that.

“How did you two meet?” she asked as food began arriving.

Too late, Griff realized he hadn’t told Recette to keep quiet about the Lord of Darkness thing. But she just glanced up at him and gave him a secretive smile, shaking her head. Thank Hell Anily had said something.

“Tear and I were walking out at night when we met him in the town square. He told us to go home because it was dangerous. When it happened again, he started picking on Tear, so I told him that I didn’t care that fairies were trained or whatever about genohide, he couldn’t talk to her like that!” Recette held firm conviction, serious until the moment she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. The servants setting down the food gave her bug-eyed looks, although one literally had multi-faceted eyes.

“A fairy? Yes, Griff does hate them. So strange that a human girl and a fairy would end up befriending him.”

“Well, we had to go through things before we were friends; first I had to make him a customer!” Recette seemed excited to tell the tale.

“Oh? And what is your trade?” his aunt asked.

The girl’s enthusiasm died down, and sadness crept into her eyes as she seemed to shrink into herself. “Um, Tear and I started an item shop in my house. Papa took out a huge loan and I had to pay it off.”

It looked like the story was about to make her cry, and that was unacceptable. “You should eat your soup. It’s delicious, and remember, no sweets unless you eat your food.” He led by example, starting in on his soup.

Her eyes brightened almost instantly. “Right!” She went right to eating, and on her first bite, she smiled. “This is really good!” Before she could say anymore, her stomach rumbled. “Uh-oh. I’m really hungry now.” So saying, she dug into her soup.

Of course Griff hadn’t thought about the ramifications of not eating much for a week. “Not too fast, you might make yourself sick.”

“You sound so much like your mother,” Aunt Fina said.

Griff’s face was warm, and it was a strange dynamic between him and his Mate that required him to be a mother hen to her. “She’s a child. Someone has to take care of her.”

“Hey!” Recette tried to scowl at him, but it looked more like a pout. She’d finished her soup already, heedless of his warning. “I’m eight years old, you know! And I had my own item shop. I’m not _just_ a kid! You sound like Caillou.”

“He is also a child,” Griff said. “He can hardly denigrate you without applying those insults to himself.” Although, despite being the same age, the mage had a lot of maturity that Recette lacked. And he certainly possessed more knowledge and critical thinking skills.

“Denigrape?” Recette asked. “He never gave me fruit.”

Both Griff and his aunt started laughing, and he was pleased to see Fina smile. The girl just gave them that pouting scowl as the main course came out. Roast beef with mashed potatoes. Griff’s favorite.

As they dug in, Aunt Fina said, “Who is Caillou? Did you actually make more than one human friend, Griff?”

Human-Hater Griff was one of his nicknames. He hadn’t put his plan with the archdemon together for no reason. His parents had been idealistic diplomats, trying to work together with humans for the benefit of both their races. And the church murdered them. With that as a catalyst to ascend him to Demon Lord to replace his father, he had decided that his parents were fools to have anything but hatred for humans.

“Five, aside from Recette, actually. And an elf.” He wasn’t sure he could explain how it happened. He had been trapped among them, wary of an ignorant mob coming for him with church officials and holy bindings and meeting the same end as his parents. But he first met a little girl who was everything he knew humanity wasn’t: kind, caring, accepting, and brave.

Having her to raise his optimism about humans was really all that saved him from drowning when he ended up swimming in the sea of humanity. And he was surprised to notice that, although he got side-long looks and whispers, and people didn’t talk to him unless they had to, there was not hatred or hostility in the eyes of the humans. It was wariness, which was honestly a sensible way to approach something unknown and powerful. He accepted that as part of nature. But some of them almost seemed curious. It was nothing like he had expected.

Recette had been a different catalyst for him, taking him from Demon Lord to…just a person. While she was aware he was different, she didn’t treat him differently. And that allowed him to shift his perspective on humanity, getting a human job as an adventurer (though he had ignored, at the time, that he really just wanted to give his card to Recette), spending time with his human friends in a tavern (where the regular patrons eventually welcomed him when he walked in the door), and it was like she turned everything he knew upside-down.

There was a quiet thump as his aunt’s hand, still holding its fork, suddenly hit the table. “Five? Are you serious?”

Although Fina had readily accepted Recette, given the girl’s charm (and his aunt had to be aware she couldn’t be entirely human if she was Griff’s Mate), it seemed the radical changes that now seemed normal to him were too shocking for her.

“Yes. I was surprised when a group of Recette’s adventurer friends invited me to the tavern. But they didn’t mind that I was a demon. Caillou is a mage, and he found the idea of demons and our world fascinating. Humanity ended up being nothing like I expected,” Griff said. He kept eating, hoping his aunt wouldn’t be set off.

No such luck. “Humans are hateful creatures. You may have brought one good human home, but nothing else good will come from them.” There was a bitter anger in her words. Griff’s whole family had been affected, twisted, really, by his parents’ murders. He recognized the hatred boiling up in his aunt; it was something he still had inside him too. But his time spent actually getting to know individual humans had taken his hatred to a simmer. Especially when he wasn’t actually among them, it was easier to recapture a little of the optimism his parents had instilled about humanity.

“Hey, some humans may be mean and bad, but not all of us are!” Recette said, and her protest drew his aunt’s attention, to his dismay. “There are lots of good people too. It’s just the same with demons, right? Penlon and Anily are nice, and Griff is awesome, so my impression of demons is good. But if someone met a bunch of bad ones first, they might think demons are evil, and they’d be wrong.” Crossing her arms, she said, “You just have a bad impression of humans. Most people are nice, and my friends are really good people!”

His aunt, the servants, everyone had frozen at her words. He wasn’t sure his aunt was breathing. She had never been spoken to like that, and certainly not by a little human girl. Then Recette sat back and said, in a much more subdued tone, “Even if Louie runs out on the check at restaurants sometimes…and Elan doesn’t pay his bar tab…and Charme is a thief…”

Griff couldn’t help it; he started laughing. It seemed to break the ice, but the servants were glancing at him like he’d gone crazy. “This reminds me of how we met,” he said to the girl. Looking at his aunt, he said, “Recette won’t be quiet if someone is talking badly about people she cares about. I got an earful before I learned that.”

Fina was examining Recette closely. “So you believe there is no evil in humanity?”

The girl shrugged, not at all intimidated by the old woman’s scrutiny. “I know the people I know aren’t evil; they’re mostly good. But I don’t know every human in the world.”

“And she has no real ties to the church, so she wouldn’t understand what we’ve dealt with,” Griff said, wanting to end the discussion.

“Well, I used to go when I was littler because if you got enough stamps, they gave you a piece of candy. But I was thinking about sweets most of the time they were talking. They talk a lot,” Recette said.

He smiled, thinking it was an extremely Recette thing to do. “So you’re basically telling us that sweets are your religion.”

The girl frowned at him. “That’s silly. I don’t worship them; I eat them.”

They had finished their main course and the dishes were taken away. Sometimes they had another course, but since Griff had made the special request for dessert, he was pretty sure it was coming next. Sure enough, a cart was wheeled out with a large assortment of cakes, cookies, candies, and other sweet things, all delicately decorated. Priel hadn’t had much notice to make extra dessert, but that man never disappointed.

Contrary to them not being her religion, Recette’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open like she’d seen the Holy Grail. “Oh my gosh!” It was nearly a squeal. “Look at that! And I can have some?”

Those pleading eyes tore at his responsible nature. “Just for tonight, you can have as much as you want, provided you leave at least some for Aunt Fina and I.”

That one was definitely a squeal of delight. “Of course! I’m good at sharing. Thank you, Griff!”

Recette wasted no more time but picked up a cookie as soon as the plate was on the table and took a bite. She closed her eyes and a dreamy smile came over her face. “Can I tell your patis-pat-pati-…your baker that they’re magic?”

Griff smiled, and looked at the servant putting all the sweets on the table (who was eyeing Recette nervously) and asked, “Can you bring Priel in here to meet his biggest fan?”

The demon shook his head, antenna swaying with the motion. “Priel had somewhere to be, so he left as soon as he finished.”

“Perhaps tomorrow, Recette.” By the time he looked back at her, half the cookies were gone.

“Aw…well, I won’t forget. I definitely want to meet him.” So saying, she ate the next cookie in two bites before picking up a small pie and taking a bite, eliciting a satisfied hum.

He just put a slice of chocolate cake on his plate and ate it as he watched the spectacle. It was surreal to see how she would apparently savor each bite at high speed, to watch as the plates were bare almost before he noticed. And in the span of twenty minutes, she had eaten everything.

“What is she?” his aunt asked, voice hushed in awe. It didn’t look like she’d taken any dessert, instead just staring at Recette.

“A sweets monster,” he said, although he knew she was asking a serious question. It was one of the few things that should have tipped him off before he discovered she was his Mate that Recette wasn’t fully human. Humans couldn’t eat like that.

Case in point, his adorable little glutton was patting her stomach, which looked comfortably full like she had just eaten a big meal instead of being grotesquely distended like she’d just eaten her body mass in sugar. A human would be throwing it back up, with their body being unable to handle that much excess food.

The sweetest little sleepy smile was turned on him as Recette said, “Thank you, Griff. I haven’t had sweets in ages; Tear was really strict and stingy about it.” Her eyes became a little sad at the mention of her fairy, but her smile didn’t falter. Nothing seemed able to smother the way she radiated pleasure and satisfaction.

“I’m glad you enjoyed them. Priel will be pleased tomorrow.” It hadn’t escaped his notice that most of the servants had left the room, wide-eyed and staring at Recette’s feast. Priel would probably hear tonight, as would the rest of the castle, that the human their lord had brought home was a sweets monster.

Recette yawned and stretched. “Um, can I go to sleep? The grass in the town square was kinda soft, but that bed looked like a magic marshmallow.”

Of course, she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a while either. Especially if she chose somewhere that open to lay her head, her senses would have been on alert (at least he hoped they were) for anyone who might harm her. Oh, who was he kidding, she probably snoozed where anyone could get to her and not taken any notice until it was too late. He shivered at the idea.

And that man was a prime example of the danger he had left her in. He really hoped that sound had been the man’s body breaking. No one was allowed to touch Recette, not like _that_. If she hadn’t been with him, he would have been sorely tempted to make a gruesome example of the man. Really, letting him live had been far too generous. Of course, with the things he wanted to do to that animal, living would actually be the cruelest thing he could do. There were some things that no one wanted to survive.

“Um, did my magic marshmallow bed make you angry?” Recette asked, voice timid.

His face must have had a dark expression for her to give him a look like that. “No, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else. Let’s get you to bed.”

They got up and she immediately took his hand. As they turned to leave, his aunt said, “Once you have her settled, come find me in my study. We have things to discuss, Nephew.”

“Yes, Auntie.” He’d forgotten she was there, actually.

As they walked backed to Recette’s room, she hummed tunelessly, still glowing with joy. “I’m glad you’re happy, Recette. I’m sorry I left you to live like that.”

“You didn’t know,” she said. “And it wasn’t so bad. There was this little girl that Tear and I helped find her hairpin, and I fixed up her dollie, and she shared her lunch with me a couple of times. And the guildmaster would find me at some time every day and give me an Apple or loaf of Walnut Bread. He said I wouldn’t have to live outside forever; he was looking for a place for me to go.”

It took him a moment to realize she meant the guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild, not the Adventurer’s Guild, which was the one he’d dealt with most regularly. But he had seen her guildmaster when he went to her shop sometimes. He seemed like a good man, and Griff was glad to hear he had cared what happened to Recette.

They fell silent, and when they got outside her room, he remembered something. “Anily wants to be your guide around the castle. She should come by tomorrow morning.”

Recette beamed. “Really? I knew I would make friends here. Not that you aren’t a good enough friend or anything,” she said. “Really, right now you’re the best friend I have. I’m really glad we met, Griff.”

He felt like he could burst with pride. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but she was telling him that he was special to her, and that was enough for now. “I don’t think I’d like my life this much if I hadn’t met you…happiness wasn’t something that existed.”

She made a small noise before wrapping herself around his waist. “I’m glad you’re happy, Griff.”

The side of her head was pressed on his lower abdomen, and the size difference was so vast that it was impossible to hug back in this position. So he just rubbed her back, his gauntlets light and dexterous enough that they were almost as good as his regular hand would be.

The girl arched back into his touch for a moment before letting go. “I’m going to go to sleep with Gabe before I fall over. Goodnight, Griff.”

“Goodnight,” he said as she opened her door. “I hope you enjoy your magic marshmallow bed.” He felt like an idiot saying it, but the goofy grin she flashed him before the door closed made it worth it.

Now to go see what his aunt thought of his Mate.

(-)

“I don’t know what kind of Mate you brought home with you, but she isn’t human,” his aunt said almost as soon as he entered her study.

“No, not entirely. She couldn’t be, or she wouldn’t be able to be my Mate.” He liked that they skipped any awkward confession of her being his Mate. Especially because of the age difference.

His aunt was pacing a little, clearly agitated and thinking. “What can eat like that?”

“Does it matter?” Yes, it would be good to know, but he wasn’t going to get that worked up over it. Whatever she was, she was Recette.

“It matters. She’ll be bound to you for the rest of your very long life and you don’t want to know?”

He sighed and sat in an armchair by the bookcase, hoping she would take the seat next to his. “She is what she is. And since we’ll be bound together forever, I have time to learn what she is.”

That didn’t satisfy Fina. “What other unnatural traits does she display?”

It was something Griff had thought about in the week he’d gone without her, something to consider on the sleepless nights. “I don’t know. I was honestly shocked when I realized it was her; she never seemed anything but human.”

“The way she talks about humans and demons isn’t like any human I’ve ever heard of.”

Right, he forgot they’d had that disagreement. “If a human said something bad about me, she would get just as protective as she was at dinner. I’m not sure the girl knows _how_ to hate. A demon, a fairy, and an elf are just like any other person to her. She knows we’re different, but she doesn’t treat us that way.”

There was a short pause before his aunt said, “Filla would have loved her. Groth too.” It was said with longing, because they both missed his parents, missed how much brighter things had seemed with them around. And maybe it was unfair of him, but he felt like Recette shone brighter than both of his parents combined.

“Anyway, how did you find out what you thought was a human girl was your Mate?”

Ugh, here they were at the awkward part. A kiss was almost always how Mates found each other. “I was hurt in a dungeon, and she was so relieved that I wasn’t seriously wounded that she threw her arms around my neck. When she pulled herself in closer, she accidentally kissed my neck. Like I said, I was shocked. She was just a little human girl; how could she be the Mate of a Demon Lord?”

That was a lie. Even when they first met she was much more than _just_ any little girl. She was the most extraordinary creature he had ever encountered in three hundred and thirty-six years of living. He was very young for a Demon Lord. The next oldest one was over twice his age. There had been some who tested his rule when he first came to power, but they learned that his youth didn’t make him foolish or weak. Things were quickly settled back into the status quo.

“Well we know better now. And…that charm she has. It’s unusual. I didn’t even mind that a human was in the same room with me. I even shook her hand without being bothered.”

He had been mildly surprised at that. And, yes, Recette’s magnetic charisma could be considered unusual enough to possibly be supernatural. “So what race is easy to get along with and eats sweets like a monster?”

“Elf?” his aunt said. “They have a sweet tooth, although they usually prefer fruit to satisfy it.”

“Our friend Tielle is an elf, and she had a sweets-eating contest with Recette. She seemed very fond of all kinds of human sweets.”

His aunt paused and looked at him. “She kept up in a contest like that with an elf?”

“She won,” he said. “And if her ears had any kind of abnormalities, I might think elf, but to have entirely human ears, she’d only have a drop or two of elven blood. Not enough to beat a full elf in a sweets contest.”

“So what is she?”

“We’ll discover that in time. Don’t worry so much, Auntie. Right now I’m more concerned with not letting her know she’s my Mate. Obviously nothing is going to happen for a couple of decades, so I don’t want her worrying about it.”

His aunt gave him a look. “And you don’t want her to think you’re a lecherous monster.”

Thinking of the man, Griff scowled and said, “She doesn’t have the awareness and self-preservation to even consider it. The little moron was letting a man like that touch her back when I found her.” He didn’t often use insults like that anymore if they weren’t affectionate, but it irritated him that she had so little suspicion of others that she would just let any animal paw at her.

“Ah, possessive jealous rage. A beautiful part of a Mating Bond. How many pieces was he in?” She was looking forward to a gory story at last.

He couldn’t meet her eyes. “One, I think. I tossed him aside and broke something. If she hadn’t been there, it would have been very different.”

Fina huffed, looking put out. “There’s the downside of having an innocent child for a Mate. And as for keeping that from her, I’m not sure how we can the way things are. Just looking at you with her makes it obvious, so ignoring that people will know isn’t helpful. I think actually telling people that she’s your Mate but ordering them not to say anything about it to her would be the most likely to work.”

“I don’t like giving orders on my personal whims; you know that.”

Her face softened and she patted his head before she sat down. “Your mother would be so proud of you. The Kind Demon Lord. It’s why I think my plan would work. You care about your people; they would care about what you need.”

It was his reputation that had added to the trouble of his initial rise to power. He didn’t rule through intimidation and violence. His mother (and to a lesser degree, his father) had raised him to believe in treating people fairly. And, especially realizing how different life would be if one of the other Demon Lords were to control Griff’s lands, the people responded with loyalty. He had townspeople rooting out spies from neighboring lands without any provocation or request. Without their support, he might not have made it to secure his lands and settle the encroaching tendencies of the other Lords.

That reputation was also why the other Demon Lords, especially his neighbors, hated him. They had to police their borders vigilantly, because if they didn’t, their people would migrate to Griff’s lands. It had to be unpleasant to live in a constant fear of death if they even slightly upset the ruler or his laws. Griff’s people didn’t have to worry about that.

“If you phrased it as a request, I know they’d treat it like an order. Everyone understands that Mating can be tricky at first, and since it’s so rare to find a Mate, they would support you. I’m sure of it.”

Dealing with Recette finding out was unacceptable at the moment; she had just arrived, and he didn’t want her to leave if she was uncomfortable or disgusted. His logical side told him that she would never hurt him like that, even if she didn’t return his feelings. “Very well. I’ll draw up a notice tonight and give it to Pen to discreetly spread in the morning. I recall her lamenting more than once that her fairy never let her sleep late, so we won’t have to worry about her overhearing it.”

“Then get to bed after that; you look exhausted.”

“Of course. Thank you, Aunt Fina, for helping me.”

The woman got up and patted his head again, the weight and feel of cool metal of her gauntlets through his hair made him feel like a child again, just for a moment. His mother had frequently shown affection like that.

He got up and left, feeling better about the situation than he had since he got back. His clever aunt always had his back. Without her, he wouldn’t be able to keep his castle, let alone his lands, functioning. Family was wonderful.

‘Well,’ he thought darkly, ‘most family.’

(-)

“There was a demon in town the night she disappeared,” the messenger said. She seemed surprised when her queen relaxed immediately.

“Was there a description?” Because she doubted more than one demon was hanging around Pensee; it wasn’t like they were big on tourism among humans.

“Dark skin and big metal gauntlets. That was the description from the man he crippled.”

“Oh? What else did the man say?”

“He said he had stopped to talk to the girl when a monster came out of nowhere and threw him into the fountain, breaking his spine.” The messenger shivered, no doubt picturing some hideous beast.

“I doubt he was just talking to Recette.” Griff might hate humans, and he might have violent tendencies, but only when provoked. Especially in front of Recette, he wouldn’t indulge in gratuitous violence.

“Well, the man said that the demon kidnapped the girl.”

“Took her to safety is more like it.” She felt like she could breathe for the first time since she heard Recette went missing. “He’s a friend of ours. Nothing will harm her if he’s there.” When it came to the little shopkeeper, Charme saw how the big bad demon got soft and squishy, even if he tried to hide it.

While she was given a boggle-eyed look at claiming the friendship of a demon, Charme was planning. “Where are the other two?”

“They remained in Pensee to gather more information. I hope that’s acceptable,” the messenger said. It was clear she was nervous if her decision was a good one. Not many people knew Charme, especially not as a ruler, so they didn’t know what to expect.

“That’s perfect. Thank you for keeping the initiative going. I ask that you return and see if you can find where the demon went with her. His name is Griff, by the way, and he was registered with the Adventurer’s Guild.” She was tempted to have the messenger check in with her other friends, but she didn’t want to bother them until she knew more about Recette.

“Yes, my Queen.” The woman bowed and made to leave.

“Wait.” The one word had the woman halt and stiffen, turning back nervously to look at Charme. “I apologize, I don’t think I’ve asked your name.”

One slow blink later, the woman said, “Bette.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Bette. I trust that you’ll continue doing an excellent job.”

Bette beamed at her before hurrying away, the eagerness now to get back to Pensee instead of getting away from Charme. Maybe she could pull this “queen” thing off after all. Although she could stand to send more competent agents to Pensee as well. She should see if she could get El to go over and investigate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope Griff isn’t too squishy for you; we see him among humans, dealing with humans, in the game. But he hates them for what they do to demons, so it isn’t a stretch to believe he cares what happens to demons.
> 
> Again, since this audience is so small (I have four hits ATM), any inclination to review would make you magic. Even just a: Cool story, bro, would make me happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Short first chapter, but it felt like a natural stopping point. So, we have adventures in the demon realm to come! If parts of this seem OOC, I apologize, but I have bits coming that will be very in-character. Not to mention that her friends will come back to town eventually and be horrified that her shop is closed and she’s missing. And, as good friends do, they will find her and bring her safely home. (Or try to.)
> 
> Please review if you have even the slightest inclination; I know this is a tiny fandom, so any feedback is magical wonderful!


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